Brentwood-based Cogent Healthcare hires Dean Weiland as new CEO

Brentwood firm also has new name

Jul. 23, 2013

Written by

The Tennessean

Dean Weiland, a former dialysis industry executive, has been hired as president and CEO of Brentwood-based hospitalist staffing company Cogent Healthcare Inc.

The announcement came Monday along with a change in the company’s name from Cogent HMG, which it had adopted after merging with a competitor two years ago.

Weiland’s hiring comes just two weeks after Cogent introduced Randy Thurman, its executive chairman and an operating executive with the company’s majority owner, AEA Investors LP, as CEO. That followed the departure of John J. Donahue, whom Cogent said stepped down as CEO after 18 months to pursue other opportunities.

The short time frame for the hiring suggests the search for a new permanent CEO had been underway before Donahue’s departure was announced.

As CEO, Weiland assumes leadership of a company pursuing growth by expanding beyond hospitals into niches such as long-term acute care and skilled nursing facilities. Cogent, however, also faces challenges as some hospitals experiencing decline in reimbursements are bringing management of their hospitalist programs in-house.

Changing market

“The company will have to adapt to a changing health care environment, just like its clients are doing,” said Dr. Stephen L. Houff, who co-founded the former Hospitalists Management Group that merged with Cogent HealthCare in 2011 to form Cogent HMG. “As a shareholder, I’m very optimistic about the future of the company, and I think that hospital medicine is as relevant now as it’s ever been.”

Michael Klein, former CEO of the Renal Advantage dialysis chain that Weiland helped him start in 2005, said his former COO’s strong operating background will be an asset to Cogent.

In 2010, Weiland led the merger of Renal Advantage and Liberty Dialysis, which later was acquired by Fresenius Medical Care. His background also includes CEO of The Work Institute, COO of Cleartrack Information Network, executive vice president of MedStat and vice president of new business initiatives at Caremark.

Weiland said he considers Cogent well positioned for changes brought on by health care reform. “We have a company that consistently demonstrates how you drive superior quality metrics by appropriately managing care while reducing costs,” he said.

Getahn Ward covers growth and development for The Tennessean. Contact him at 615-726-5968 or gward@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter @Getahn.